While the Alan Wake series has been on ice for a while now, it seems that fans will get some development in the newest expansion in “Remedies” (Quantum Break) latest game, “Control.” With it’s latest bit of downloadable content, “AWE.”
Released in 2010, “Alan Wake” quickly achieved cult status. Channeling Stephen King in a plot that found a tortured author being attacked by a story that he can’t remember writing, the game would set a strong narrative foundation for all of its antecedents. This is why some might be glad to find that “Control’s” newest piece of downloadable content brings back both the character of Alan Wake and the forces of darkness with him.
Despite all that, it is worth noting that this is a “Control” story first and an “Alan Wake” story last. The game places players in the role of Jesse Faden (Courtnee Hope, “The Bold and The Beautiful”), a mentally tormented woman that finds herself in charge of the Federal Bureau of Control, a government agency that handles supernatural anomalies. The expansion opens when Jesse finds herself being written in Wake’s story and taking her down a series of bizarre twists and turns as she attempts to chase down the game’s main foe, Hartman. Along the way, she finds casefiles that document the “Alan Wake” plot through “Control’s” bureaucratic and intricate writing.
Unfortunately, this line of events ends up going nowhere, providing no closure to the “Alan Wake” storyline and failing to further Jesse’s journey. While there is some fanservice hidden in optional objectives, a golden opportunity is missed to bring players to Bright Falls. Instead, the game locks Jesse within the familiar set of levels that can be found throughout the normal “Control” campaign.
Combat remains fairly untouched. Jesse has access to several supernatural powers like telekinesis, mind control and flight. Certain encounters employ a darkness mechanic, where the darkness becomes a physical force that corrupts objects, requiring light sources to be burned away. This is something that was core to the original “Alan Wake” but feels very token in this instance. A majority of the enemies act the same, leaving the game feeling very redundant and draining. This forces Jesse to use her abilities to dispatch more bad guys in tight corridors. The only exception is a reoccurring boss monster that turns off the lights to attack in the dark.
A new gun has been added to the player’s arsenal, allowing he or she to fire out several projectiles that can be detonated all at once. This makes for some creative gameplay where bombs are attached to bits of debris that can be launched with telekinesis. However, the new weapon’s large blast radius and high damage might mean that a misplaced shot could end up draining the player’s life in one shot. It is a good edition, but for $15 one might have been hoping for more.
The “AWE” expansion for “Control” is unable to shake up the core formula. The story also fails to deliver anything new on either of the franchises it has to contend with, instead remaining lame and muted. “Control” still remains a fun experience, but this downloadable content doesn’t improve it enough to warrant a return. It leaves nothing behind but a small cliffhanger, with the promise of more “Alan Wake” in the future.
Image from Playstation via YouTube
